Hunger and housing issues among Oregon college students are on the rise. Now, more help may be on the way. Last week, the Oregon Senate passed a bill requiring the state’s public colleges to hire “benefits navigators”—a measure advocates say will be key in fighting food and housing insecurity on college campuses.

Benefits navigators will help students at Oregon’s 26 public colleges and universities determine their eligibility for and apply for assistance from programs such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. The bill would allocate nearly $5 million for the new positions, and while it doesn’t specify when the navigators will be hired, the funding is intended to last the next two years. The measure now goes to Oregon’s governor.

Photo: Mark Makela

When Ariana Rodriguez applied to Colorado colleges, what stood out to her was how little she could find about people like herself—a Latina and first-generation college student. “I didn’t feel welcome,” she says. “So why would I want to go?”

In May, Colorado lawmakers passed a law banning legacy admissions at public universities, a change that advocates say will help low-income and first-generation students better perceive schools as open to them. They also see the ban as leading to more conversations about how to get students to and through college.